COLUMBUS – Verizon and Sprint customers have one more day to claim their share of the $120 million national “mobile cramming” settlements announced earlier this year.
Verizon or Sprint customers who experienced unauthorized third-party charges on their cell phone bills dating back to July 2010 may be eligible for refunds under the settlements.
“If your Verizon or Sprint cell phone bill was higher than expected in the last few years, you may be entitled to a refund,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.
The deadline to make a claim is Dec. 31.
“Cramming” occurs when customers are charged small one-time fees or monthly subscription fees of $9.99 per month for premium text message subscription services involving ringtones, horoscopes, trivia, or sports scores that they did not request. Frequently, the charges occurred after consumers entered their mobile phone numbers online, DeWine said.
Verizon customers can submit their claims at www.CFPBSettlementVerizon.com.
Sprint customers can submit their claims at www.SprintRefundPSMS.com.
The settlements, announced in May, were the latest in a nationwide effort by state and federal officials to curb the practice of mobile cramming. Similar settlements were reached with AT&T and T-Mobile in 2014, De Wine says.
The carriers promised to stop billing customers for commercial premium text message subscription services, the largest source of mobile cramming, in the fall of 2013 after the states began investigating, DeWine said.